Toasted oak | Cinnamon | Cherry cordial | Orange zest | Pie crust

Cherry | Plum | Toasted oak | Nutmeg

Raspberry | Cranberry | Seasoned oak | Touch of clove | Tart & dry

Dragon’s Milk Origin Cerise Barrel Finish is part of New Holland Spirits Dragon’s Keep quarterly whiskey club releases. Many companies have moved to a direct-to-consumer service of offering members event access, discounts, and most notably, club-only releases. These releases aren’t confined to having to cater to the mass market, instead venturing outside the comfort boundaries of both consumers and the brand.

Dragon’s Milk Origin Cerise Barrel Finish takes the company’s Origin bourbon and finishes it in a Cerise liqueur barrel. Liqueur de cerise, as it is often known, is a French alcoholic beverage that’s sweet and fruit-forward that's made by macerating cherries in brandy or vodka and further sweetening it with sugar syrup. With Dragon’s Milk Origin bourbon already fruit-forward, the joy here is to see what happens when you take one fruit flavor and push it hard in one direction.

As expected, cherry dominates the flavor profile, but it isn’t all sugary sweetness. The aroma offers the brand’s toasted oak and cinnamon, followed by the cherry cordial goodness of maraschino cherry, liquid fondant, and a chocolate ganache coating. The palate is a mix of cherry, plum, toasted oak, and nutmeg. The finish introduces tart, dry elements to the bourbon, including raspberry, cranberry, dry seasoned oak, and light clove.

It took some time for Dragon’s Milk Origin Cerise Barrel Finish bottle to fully open up, as the flavors begin very tight. When they did, the sip provided a blooming effect of flavor and proof to your senses. Tartness isn’t something you often come across in finished bourbon, and it's an interesting addition. Cherry is typically a welcome flavor in any bourbon, and combined with Dragon’s Milk's fruit-forward flavor profile, the extra cherry flavor does squash some of Dragon Milk Origin's range. In the end, Dragon’s Milk Origin Cerise Barrel Finish is exactly what fans of the brand want. Though it isn’t perfect, it's inventive and unique.